In the latest episode of Grit Stories, I spoke with Baskar Subramanian, founder and CEO of Amagi. Baskar has been an internet entrepreneur and startup founder since before either of those terms were really a thing. Having started and sold his first startup in his mid 20s, Baskar, along with a group of friends, started looking for new problems to solve.  

The group set their sights on disrupting television advertising with technology, the startup that became Amagi.

The startup ecosystem, Indian or international, sometimes focuses too much on the loud and the noisy. But there’s another kind of startup, quiet, tough and resilient, focused on their business and their goals. It’s clear which kind Amagi is, and this was a great insight into the people behind it.

Amagi has been in the future since 2008, and we wish them the best with their rocketship.

• 2:44-3:45: Baskars Story; Coming from a small time; being dyslexic but still finding a connect with the computers
• 3:45:20-5:14:09: First business stint in grade 11! Building financial products from small businesses!
• 07:45:23-09:19: Making the decision of leaving Texas Instruments although being a top coder there and thoughts on starting up
• 16:34-19:06: Amagi Story: Empowering the smaller players to advertise on TV!
• 20:30-22:36: Challenges faced operationally; Extensive traveling in tier-2 cities; facing the cable mafia and getting them onboard!
• 25:23-28:34: Facing the problem of scale and changing the targeting through research on larger brands
• 32:48-39:03: Friction with the TV channels; Broadcasters v/s Amagi
• 35:51-38:59: Changing the model and almost starting afresh; tough times as a founder!
• 41:16-44:22: Grit of continuing even during tough times; Unconditional support from the employees

Check out other episodes from the Insights Podcast series at https://www.seedtoscale.com

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